Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Rule 19 = Catch 22

"Major Major never sees anyone in his office while he's in his office."Catch-22, Joseph Heller

So, Sen Elizabeth Warren was reading a letter from Coretta Scott King regarding AG nominee Sen Jeff Sessions when Mitch McConnell and the Gang shut her down on the floor. They used Rule 19 of the Senate, Section 2:

2. No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of
words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or
motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.

So, basically what the Senate GOP is saying is that no Senator can say anything negative about Sen Jeff Sessions, or any other one. But is she referring to Sessions the Senator or Sessions the AG nominee? Can there be a difference? By McConnell's standard, all Senator-nominees would be immune from criticism! We'd have nothing but Senator-Cabinets forever! And Warren was reading from a letter, and a letter written by a prominent American historical figure. So, was it Warren doing the impugning, or Corretta Scott King?

Is it just me, and just me for about twenty years now, which I find really hard to believe, or is the GOP just not smart enough to govern?

48 comments:

Can you explain Session's NAACP exceptional government service award? Didn't he get that after the King letter? Why did Robert Byrd deserve a "Klan" pass, but Jeff Sessions will always be a racist? I'm corn-fuzed.

Thersites, do you not acknowledge that Robert Byrd repented for his past Klan ways and became a better man? Not that he went all the way to social liberal side, mind you, but he certainly came around on race!

Compare Robert Byrd, https://votesmart.org/candidate/53359/robert-byrd, to Jeff Sessions, https://votesmart.org/candidate/443/jeff-sessions-iii, and tell me if you see the difference.

I think it's important to debate honestly. When you just repeat cheap-shot talking points, let alone one's that are obviously misrepresenting a subject, lifted directly from FOX News and talk radio, it doesn't make you look very honest, like you don't have a real argument, so you just react and repeat. You do not want to argue that way, do you?

Everyone who know American history knows that there was once a strong Democratic Party in the South that was staunchly Jim Crow. Everyone also knows that wing of the Party does not exist anymore. It hasn't in well over a generation now. The GOP now firmly holds those voters and districts. Are you seriously pretending that is not the case?

You equate Democrat hand-out politics with helping black people. I equate giving good jobs to all American as helping (amongst others) black people. Which does better for African Americans, welfare or high paying jobs? Cuz if its' the latter, Jeff Sessions stands a full head higher than the former (now reformed) Grand Kleagle, Robert Byrd.

The GOP has NEVER had an affinity for Jim Crowe. NEVER. That the Democrats want to pretend that all the "racists" left the DNC for the RNC is merely a wish to deny your own history and culpability for racism.

FJ, Project Vote Smart isn't just one ideological perspective. It is simply aggregate information. This isn't about party affiliation, it's about ALL the various interest groups ratings, and votes on ALL specific legislation as understood by ALL involved.

And please let me remind you of a common conservative error in logic - you will never win over minority voters by calling them suckers for vacuous hand-out politics. There is a reason minorities don't vote conservative, and it's because they believe conservatives look down at them. The way you conservatives talk about them, you can see why.

Minorities are not stupid. They know Jeff Sessions is not their friend. They'd be stupid to think otherwise. Hearing you telling them that they should believe Jeff Sessions is their friend? It just sounds obnoxious.

Government is NOBODY's "friend" Jersey. If minorities are looking for "friends" in the Government, they're looking in the wrong place. The Government exists to enforce a LEVEL playing field, NOT help their "friends". But you're right, Conservatives look down upon and speak poorly of those who seek "handouts" from Government, because we believe that handouts are something best left to public charities and private interests. Because the Government makes NO distinction between a 'deserving' (people who through no fault of their own have fallen upon hard times, widows/orphans) and the 'undeserving' (addicts, alcoholics, criminals) poor and end up creating a Government financed 'moral hazard' that in the long run impedes and prevents social reform.

If it were true that conservatives look down upon the receivers of hand-outs, they must think terribly of themselves. The redder the state, ya' know, the poorer it probably is, and the more federal money coming in than going out.

No Jersey, it's not just you. For over 2 decades I thought the GOP wss the "smart" party. For the last 12 years, and especially now, I've grown to recognize they are not smart in many ways. In fact because they have had to resort to gerrymandering and voter suppression to gain and remain in power history will ultimatelydetermine the GOP not smart at all. Changing demographics is going to render the party irrelevant. Unless, and this big, THE PARTY WAKES UP.

And there you have the real reason we are seeing today, with trump and the gop, what is unfolding before us. It IS only temporary.

Elizabeth Warren, or as I call her "Lizzy Warthog" has become a poster child of sorts. You must admit, no matter what side you're on, that she has done plenty of damage to the Democratic Party in some form. Her antics keep feeding the media circus. There are liberals who do similar things without the loud and wacky public antics she displays. On a side note, Republican retired Congressman Bob Dornan ran a political circus show that did his career in when Loretta Sanchez ran against him in his weakest moments. Dornan's political circus shot his career down. "Lizzy Warthog" is shooting holes in the Democrat Party's perceived credibility the same way Hotheaded Blobby Dornan fatally wounded his political career. I got fed up with Dornan's flambuoyant antics back in the day. What I see will end up destroying the Democratic Party as well. Lizzy should be thankful that McConnell didn't want her political circus show to demean and degrade the confirmation process. McConnell actually saved her face by silencing her cawing and hen pecking.

Sessions will start out by undoing the progress on drug sentencing reform and get ICE to go through some show deportations to tear families apart.And you talk about Warren's warts, bobo?

If you've been paying any attention you'd realize that the Democratic Party was already neutered by the Clintoons and the Democratic Leadership Council (Repubs lite). So to rebuild we had to get rid of Hillary but unfortunately, we have paid too high a price by electing a trained baboon.

The GOP would like to make Warren the latest "Hildabeast." It pleases the "NO MA'AM" set. The Dems have a real problem there, though. With union membership at historic lows, 70% of the workforce in the service sector, and lowering levels of upward mobility, the Dems have got to win over the working poor. Warren has done some very good things for her country, and those people. But when you're level of political discourse is at the level of a Hannity discussion panel, all you know is she's "shrill" and "elitist" and a "fake Pocahontas."

But... while FOX and talk radio and the GOP will try to make Warren their poster child of the "liberal elite," they will be missing two things - she's an excellent parliamentarian who is going to make the GOP's life hell in the Senate, she will not the face of the party, as Trump's election has already prompted widespread talk of a new, more competent, more liberal big-name ticket for next around. This time, the Game really has Changed. Trump did that. Ya' gotta give 'em that!

When the Republican party puts up a true fiscal conservative who actually has American values as their guide and had demonstrated a a character with principles I find acceptable they'll get my support.